Meet the Showman of Strongman

04 Dec 201803:27am IST

04 Dec 201803:27am IST

Report byAnant Bakhale

Will Baggott from England, crowned the ‘Showman’ for two consecutive years in the Strongman Professional League, feels that to be a Strongman, you can’t just be strong and boring; you need to enjoy yourself and be engaged with the fans. Café had a tête-à-tête with Will to know more about ‘Strongman’

Having competed as a strongman for the last five years

and being a professional for two years,
England’s Will Baggott, who was sixth in the world of Strongman Champions
League last year and has also won the best Showman in the world for two years
in a row, is in Goa for the India leg of the Strongman Professional League.

Herald Café:

What
brought you to Goa?

Will Baggott:

I am part of Strongman Professional League, a televised
programme that goes to 95 countries in the world and is very popular and well
known all around the world.This is a 16-day world tour and we finished last
month in Mexico. We are in India (Goa) to show our talent so that the people
from here and Asia know what a Strongman is. We are here to bring Strongmen
together.

HC:

What is your role in
Strongman Professional League, Goa?

WB:

I have come as an
instructor. My role is to show Strongman the technique to lift the bar and
motivate them.

HC:

How many hoursa daydo
you train?

WB:

I train for around
three hours at a slot in the afternoon. Routine is mainly waking up in the
morning, stretching, drinking a lot of water and having a good meal.

HC:

Do you need a
different gym or coach for a Strongman?

WB:

For Strongman we need
specific items that are not available at every gym. One can train normally at
the initial stages by using a bar but eventually you need to go to the log. You
need to go to a ‘strongman gymnasium’ to be a Strongman. With coaching,
watching the Strongman Champions League would also help. Watch what the
professionals do on TV or visit the website for shows
(strongmanworldseries.com).

HC:

What does it mean to
be a Showman in Strongman?

WB:

In Strongman, it is
not just about being strong anymore. You can’t just be strong and boring; you
need to engage with the people and have fun. In Strongman Champions League we
recognise some of the Strongman who have good showmanship. I engage with the
crowd by taking photos and enjoy with the fans, which makes me the best
Showman.

HC:

What motivated you to
be a Strongman?

WB:

Before I came to
Strongman Champions League, I was in the weight class for which your body
weight has to be 105 kg. I was second strongest in the world. This motivated me
to enter the Strongman Professional League.

HC:

What is your diet?

WB:

I have around 10,000
calories a day mainly from good carbs and proteins. I eat chicken, beef, white
rice and many different green vegetable to make myself stronger. It is a tough
diet.

HC:

How mentally strong
should one be for the event?

WB:

You need to be always
strong in your mind and believe in yourself. If you are a Strongman and if you
think that you are going to fail then you will definitely fail but if you are
positive minded you will surely gain success. You have to have belief in
yourself and God as this is a dangerous sport which may cause severe injury to
your head, backbone or knee.

HC:

What is the maximum
weight lifted by a Strongman?

WB:

There are many
different disciplines but in the log lift, Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania has
lifted 228 kg.

HC:

Your message for
Indiansinterested in becoming Strongman.

WB:

My advice is to follow me on social media
and see how I train and to learn from Strongman who are in India and are very
helpful. If people message me and ask advice I will help them as much as I can.